The definition of Usability is the ‘ease of use and learnability of a human-made object’. In present world, usability plays a critical role in a success of a product. We’re living in an era where technology is being replaced at a significant rate. As new products and services come to market, they have a very short time to make a good impression with the users – and this must happen fast; because users now have more than one option that they will consider.
Mobile and Augmented Reality
In a traditional sense, when it comes to usability, we think of diagrams, wireframes, buttons, windows and menus. But with the invention of mobile apps, we have to think far beyond those constraints. With the augmented reality products such as Google Glass, we have to design products in a way that they can be used even without hands or gestures.
With these new emerging technologies, Usability Professionals are now at the highest level of demand. Apple releases a new iPhone almost every year. The fragmented Android devices are released at an even faster rate. Unfortunately due to this fast phase of growth, universities and academic institutions are falling behind in keeping up with equipping the generation of today for the skills required in the commercial world.
The Competitive Advantage of User-Centric-Design
These days most businesses don’t have a technology barrier to release new products. Skilled staff can be hired from virtually anywhere in the world. The technical limitations of databases, servers, payments, cloud storage and real-time communication are almost non-existent. But it’s extremely hard to design products that users will embrace because of ease of use and an intuitive design.
Think you’re up for that challenge? You might have what it takes to become a Usability Professional.